Sunday, May 31, 2009

I'm trying to take it easy this weekend, but I'm sure many of you want to discuss last night's return of "Pushing Daisies," even if it was only for Summer Burn-Off Theatre, so fire away.

Now, I know the remaining two episodes have already aired elsewhere, and are therefore available via file-sharing programs, but we're going to follow the same rules here that we do for a show like "Doctor Who" -- if it hasn't aired yet here in America, we're not going to talk about it. Confine all comments to this episode and the ones before it, please.

18 comments:

I was looking forward to Daisies' season 2 return (having enjoyed season 1), but I gave up on it around episode 5. I just grew tired of its whole syrupy vibe, and began to realize I just didn't CARE about any of the mysteries (which are frankly impossible to unravel yourself, so of no value to "armchair sleuths"). We got these final episodes in the UK awhile back, but I just don't feel the inclination to watch them.

I know it's unfair to wish that the show was heading for some kind of conclusion when they didn't know they were going to have to wrap it up in 13 episodes. But I'd so rather deal with the whole Ned's dad/Chuck's dad/Dwight/Lily conundrum than start some un-finishable Ned/Olive/Chuck drama. It also felt like some of the dialogue was pretty laboured, particularly the stuff with Olive and the nuns.

That said, it was wonderful to have the show back. I liked the unusual pairings of Emerson and Chuck and Ned and Olive. I liked Ned realizing both that it's nice to have someone who appreciates him without his power, but also that his power is part of who he is, and that's who Chuck knows and loves. Loved Randy thinking he hadn't noticd the rhino was still alive. And Lionel Ritchie has never sounded so beautiful.

I couldn't help writing a full-length review, despite being nothing but burn-off, simply because it means spending more time in this universe.

No, the mystery wasn't actually all that interesting, and I agree with filmcricket about the Ned/Olive/Chuck drama being a fundamentally bad idea on some level, but it's just so much fun to be able to exist in a universe where a character breaks into Lionel Richie or has an enormously thick book about double negatives.

The Emerson/Chuck matchup didn't work for me at all. On the flip side, I thoroughly enjoyed Olive and Ned interactions. Hope that the final two episodes feature Emerson and Itty Bitty sleuthing together. Those two have golden chemistry.

It was an enjoyable episode, but a bit anti-climactic, given that they didn't know when they made it that this would be one of the last three. There are a lot of balls in the air -- Emerson's daughter, Chuck's dad, Ned's dad, and what Dwight Dixon was up to -- and after this episode, it looks like those plotlines aren't going to be addressed in these last few episodes. But did I notice a reference to Ned's brothers in this episode? Perhaps they will get back to some of this family stuff.

I'm very curious how poor-little-rich-girl Olive came to be a pie waitress, but I suppose that is also something that will never get addressed.

It's nice to see Ned come to terms with his ability, and he seemed happier at the episode's end than he has been for quite some time... except for the jealousy bit, which just made me cringe. I hope the last two episodes aren't going to dwell on more romantic complications.

Just had to give a shout-out to the casting of Richard Benjamin as one of the not-kidnappers. I was late to recognize him.

@Myles: I saw your review; FYI: the person who saved them was not Chuck's father, it was Ned's -- that was revealed in the end of the last episode, with the reveal of George Hamilton as the father.

@Michael: would you believe, 10 PM on Saturday nights? In case you didn't get that they don't actually expect anybody to watch it.

FYI: I didn't recognize George Segal as the other not-kidnapper until I just looked it up on IMDB! I think it's partly because they're playing so much against type -- they both usually play New York Jewish intellectual types.

Inexplicable, the last segment of this didn't air in HD in NYC! If there's a show airing that benefits more from the HD (both in the super-saturated color palate, and with the sound/music), I don't know what it is.

I can't say I've ever cared very much about the main mysteries in each episode of PD, a show I adore - for me it's all about the clever dialogue, the relationships, and the look of it all - so for me the episode delivered. I'm really sorry there are only two more to go.

I liked it, and it was great seeing Richard Benjamin and George Segal on screen again. I also didn't mind the emerging Ned/Chuck/Olive complication. Ned's known Olive for a long time--makes sense he'd have developed some deeper feelings for her, even if they turn out to be simple jealousy of his friend having a new friend she likes better than she likes Ned. I'm going to miss this show so much when it's done :(

Cheer up, Matt; it didn't air at all here in Seattle (on Comcast). Some idiot telethon instead, and with no warning; I set up the recording on my DVR at 2pm, and the listing changed between then and 10pm. Truly, Seattle's ABC affiliate is worthless.

So sorry this show is going the way of the Dodo. In the mean time, didn't the previous episode end with George Hamilton. What happened with that? Was thrilled to see Segal and Benjamin but where was Hamilton?

I guess my opinion of the Ned and Olive pairing is pretty unpopular here, but it's probably my favourite thing about this episode, and to a certain extent, the show. I guess while I enjoy the cutesy scenes with Ned and Chuck, I've often thought that Olive/Ned is more fun to watch together in scenes. I do agree that Olive/emerson are also more fun to watch than Chuck/Emerson as well though.

Perhaps because Olive did yet another perfect rendition of a cheesy song, but it's really too bad the show's gone, because I would have liked to see what Ned would do with his jealousy ( I'm guessing with only two more eps, this won't be resolved).